Devil's Food
by Funky In Fishnet
Summary: Kane is consumed by an inner fire, he always has been. He's more monster than man, though he finds himself still watching Daniel Bryan after their tag-team break-up. He shouldn't care, but he does, because Daniel burns with a very familiar fire.


_**Disclaimer: **I own nothing_

_**Author Note: **Set during the weeks leading up to Summerslam 2013 and during Summerslam 2013 itself._

* * *

**DEVIL'S FOOD**

Kane hadn't been able to resist watching on a backstage monitor. Daniel was really going to get a corporate makeover? He'd spent months cultivating his beard, it was his trademark, his identity, it was on t-shirts. Kane shouldn't watch, he had things to do, plans to make, but his heart still shuddered at the sound of Daniel's entrance music. And there he was, suited-up like a monkey and his usually unkempt hair greased neatly back. The beard was still present. Kane found himself very relieved.

He stayed relieved right up until Wade Barrett appeared with an electric razor. Then a very familiar fire began burning inside of him, in-sync with his hands curling into fists. Strangely, there was a faint, then progressively louder chant beginning to reel through his head too, it sounded like _no! no! no! no!_

Kane growled under his breath, but the chant kept going and the fire was still burning and why was Daniel sitting in the barber's chair like a lamb to the slaughter? There was a pained creaking noise and Kane realized, absently, that he'd managed to bend a folding chair in half with his bare hands. He didn't even remember picking it up. It was irrelevant anyway.

Because Daniel wasn't being a compliant suit-and-tie guy, he was beating down Wade Barrett and shaving Barrett's beard off instead. Daniel's facial hair stayed fulsome and whole. Kane smiled, it was the sort of smile that made most of the roster run for cover. Daniel had never run from Kane's expressions.

* * *

Once upon a time, Kane had been a monster. It was all he'd ever known and he'd embraced it. It was who he was, to his very core. His father…Kane swallowed at the thought of his late father. His father had seen what Kane could be, the destruction and pain he could cause. Kane liked to think that his father was proud of what he'd achieved.

His monstrous nature receded sometimes, but eventually, always, he was a monster.

Only with Daniel, he wasn't. With Daniel, there were fights and rarely a quiet word between them. There'd been a lot of preaching about the overwhelming positives of veganism, there'd been anger management classes, there'd been the tag team titles. There'd been a shared Christmas, there'd been hugs.

It didn't matter what there'd been. It had fallen apart, of course, because everything that Kane touched fell apart eventually. The only relationship that had lasted was the bond he shared with his brother, and the Undertaker had gone to ground for a while. Kane knew, like his brother did, that there were times for fire and times for ashes. He also knew that no matter how many times he fought bloodily with the Undertaker, his brother would never voluntarily or permanently disappear from his life. It was the one thing that Kane could depend on; he'd learned that the hard way.

So now Daniel was full of paranoid fury and a determination to get the WWE Championship. Kane was left facing the Wyatt Family, who wanted to show what demons they were. Kane recognized the zeal in Bray Wyatt's eyes; he looked forward to extinguishing it.

But even though Kane's monstrous side had seeped back into dominance again, something of the man he'd been at Daniel's side remained. He still found himself buying vegan snacks – because Daniel forgot to eat when he was so intensely focused on something, – and he still bought extra soy creamer for Daniel's coffee and noticed things that Daniel would like.

It was infuriating, it was who he was, monster and man, and no matter what Kane did, he couldn't get it out of his system.

* * *

When Daniel emerged through the curtain and began making his way toward his locker room, Kane appeared in front of him. Daniel didn't jump, he wasn't surprised at all. Kane hadn't intended on talking to him, he blamed his feet; they'd taken him right to Daniel. He'd run out of folding chairs to bend. Daniel was staring at him, a clear challenging question on his face.

Kane hadn't apologized yet for choke-slamming him the last time that they'd met – in the middle of the ring, a match made by Raw's General Manager, another attempt to crush Daniel before he got near the WWE Championship. Kane had been furious at Daniel's attitude, at how sure Daniel was that people were saying he was weak and worthless. Kane had never thought that.

Now, they looked at each other in silence. Kane licked his lips; he couldn't tear his gaze away from Daniel, triumphant, tie askew, beard intact. Daniel stared back, it was a good feeling. Eventually, Kane reached out and his fingers brushed through Daniel's beard. He was sure that he saw Daniel swallow.

"You're not corporate," Kane said at last.

He ground his teeth, because the words felt useless and wrong. But the fire was still burning in him and something was changing in Daniel's eyes. He gave a slight nod.

"Don't follow the buzzards."

Kane smirked, he fully intended on catching and crushing any buzzards, birds, or rednecks that Bray Wyatt laid out before him, before he tore Wyatt himself apart. And…Daniel was already moving away, conversation over. The fire flickered again greedily.

When Daniel emptied out his bags that night, he'd find packets of vegan snack-cakes, the kind containing actual vegan chocolate. The kind that Kane had always bought for him.

* * *

Once upon a time, Kane had decided not to form any more friendships. He'd been betrayed, used, and abandoned too many times. It had cost him too much. A monster shouldn't have a heart.

Daniel hadn't been a friend, at first. Forced to team together, they'd barely been able to stand each other. But once a common enemy had appeared, their teamwork had clicked and all the time that they'd spent together had started to forge something like a twisted version of friendship. Despite knowing the risks, despite knowing the pain that he would suffer because he always did, Kane hadn't been able to not respond to Daniel. Because Daniel had never held out a hand in false friendship, instead he had complained and berated and had constantly claimed that he was better than Kane. And sometimes, Kane had thought that he'd glimpsed a familiar fire in Daniel, a fire that spoke to him, sometimes.

They had been friends. Kane shouldn't miss that, but he did.

* * *

The Wyatt Family was dangerous. Harper and Rowan were drones and disciples, muscle with powerful conviction. Bray Wyatt was something else. He was a believer, as though he'd looked into the flames like Kane had and had come out a different strengthened person. Was that why he'd targeted Kane? He'd regret that.

Kane had to be careful, he had to watch his back and ensure that the Wyatts and their buzzards were laid to rest. It was the sort of job the Undertaker would have taken on.

But Kane's mind was not entirely focused on the Wyatt Family. He couldn't stop watching whenever Daniel was on-screen. He couldn't stop destroying his environment when Daniel was fighting against overwhelming odds. Daniel never gave up, that fire always burning in his eyes now. It made the flames inside Kane twist and bank and _want_.

He bought a 'Respect the Beard' shirt and kept it folded up in his bag. His fingers found it frequently, seeking memories in the wrinkles, seeking comfort that he should have sought elsewhere. He left bottled water in Daniel's bag, because sometimes Daniel forgot to rehydrate. Kane was too worried about him. He had monsters to hunt.

One night when he reached to touch the soft folds of his Daniel shirt, his hand found cellophane instead. Someone had left a Devil's Food cake in his bag. The few who knew about Kane's sweet tooth were those who'd carved out a space for themselves beneath Kane's skin.

Kane ate the cake ravenously. But when he was finished, he found that he still wanted more.

* * *

Fire had always burned in Kane. It had been at the center of his life for as long as he could remember. Fire had taken his mother from him, leaving him with only vague smoky memories. Was that smell of linseed oil really her? Sometimes he was sure that such memories were really dreams, because all he'd known during childhood was the basement of a funeral home and its furnace's fumes.

Fire had been his brother's weapon; it had become his too, against his family and by their side. Fire was unpredictable and ultimately destructive, but Kane wasn't afraid of it. He had lived in its cauldron and survived. Fire was his constant; he could always rely on it.

Daniel caused a very different fire to stir within Kane. It was anger and it was hope and Kane should have snuffed it out. Instead, he had grasped hold of it, drawn to its fury. It was a flame that had achieved gold, that had brought battles and friendship and warmth. It was one that had brought an addictive burn.

When he laid eyes on Daniel now, when he should have been sneering and calculating how to break Daniel apart, he was constantly aware of the fire he kept seeing in Daniel, refusing to go out.

* * *

Kane had fought his brother in a squared circle of fire. They had sweltered and slugged, the air eaten up by flames, oxygen choking, smoke snarling. All Kane had cared about was beating the man who had warped his life. But Kane had been the one set alight in the end, his arm aflame, and then he'd run, from long-burning memories of screams and smoke. He had lost but he had survived.

And Bray Wyatt thought that he was more demonic, that he was a greater more devious threat. Kane chuckled at the thought. He had met monsters and demons; he saw one anew each day in the world's mirrors. Wyatt was a demonic creature, he was the eater of worlds that he claimed to be – Kane could see tentacles twisting around Wyatt's loathsome figure, he could see too many sharp teeth in the man's mouth. But he was not the worst of the world, or the world beyond. Kane knew that. Wyatt could be slain.

So Kane crushed his humanity, the man he could be but shouldn't, and prepared for what he knew best.

The fire helped, it called to him and kept him focused. The fire in his veins responded. In a ring of fire, Kane was home. Bray Wyatt had no clue what he would be facing. Kane smiled. He let his fire burn.

* * *

Every part of Kane ached, but a laugh had been pouring from his mouth since the Wyatts had dragged him from the ring. Anyone could play dead; he was just gifted at it. He had learned from the best. It made the sorry state he'd left the Wyatts in backstage an even sweeter victory, especially after a defeat. Maybe he'd go back into the ring and enjoy the flames some more. It'd been too long since he'd enjoyed that embrace. He'd forgotten how perfect it was.

"Kane!"

Of course the Wyatts wouldn't stay dead. They'd seep out of the woodwork again; Kane had faced enough demons to know that. He'd be ready; he always had the fire within reach. He looked forward to it.

"Kane!"

The Undertaker would probably come calling soon. He'd disappeared after dealing with the Shield; saying that he needed a ride in the desert, that mortal weights had gotten too much for him again. Like Kane, he lived between man and monster, and the crush of grief caused by Paul Bearer's death had been immense. The Undertaker needed to refocus; he needed to lay down his burdens. When he returned, he would be wearing a cowl and his eyes would be blank and featureless. Kane found something of that peace in flames and embers.

"Kane!"

A hand grasped his damp arm, a familiar hand. It caused Kane to stop dead in his tracks. Daniel Bryan stood beside him, eyes wild and wide, his very being bristling. Kane drank him in; it felt almost as good as the ring of fire had.

Daniel's hand traveled up Kane's arm to press against his masked cheek. Daniel's fingers were scattered with crumbs, his mouth was breathless and concerned. He was shaking. Kane should have pulled away, only the fire inside was calling and saying something urgent, ignited by Daniel's close presence.

_You are both, you can have both..._

Kane's lip curled and he pressed closer to Daniel's touch. Sparks burned under Kane's skin. The fire in Daniel's eyes and touch was familiar.

"You..."

Daniel ran out of words. He pulled himself closer and violently mashed his lips against Kane's. It was a struggle between them, who wanted it more, who could get close enough. Daniel panted loudly, his hands roaming Kane like he was checking for injuries or wanting to own everything. A greedy laugh rumbled in Kane's chest. Oh, this was what the fire wanted.

Eventually, they needed air and surfaced, lips staying close, neither wanting to let go. Daniel's expression was crazed and clenched. Kane liked it, a lot, but...

"Your title," he reminded Daniel.

Daniel frowned but started to loosen his grip. He did have a match and a championship to win. Kane grabbed a handful of Daniel's hair.

"I'll find you."

Daniel lunged in for another possessive kiss, his teeth biting hard at Kane's bottom lip. Then with a frustrated gasp, he forced himself away and headed towards the curtain, without looking back. He had to focus. And Kane would be watching, waiting, and burning hard.

* * *

The championship belt should have been there, but it wasn't. Daniel braced himself against the hotel room wall, and pushed back against Kane. Buried deep in Daniel, the fire in Kane felt high and snarling. It felt close to the surface, sizzling his flesh, part of him in a way that it hadn't been before. Was this the feeling that the Undertaker found in the desert? Was this what the urn had contained for so long? Kane had thought he'd known before, but now...

Daniel clenched around him, snarling and sweating, a force greater than flesh. He liked the bruises that Kane left around his throat, he liked rough hard thrusts, he liked to bite. Kane looked forward to learning more.

The flames were fierce and greedy, in both of them. Kane growled and pushed harder. The two of them were in sync, brutal and burning. There were marks on Kane's thighs, chest, and wrists, marks made by Daniel's aggressive mouth.

_You can have both._

How could he only have a night of this? Fire had an unstoppable hunger; it never ceased until it consumed its victims. Daniel reached back and scraped hard fingernails down Kane's thigh. Kane thrust sharply, gaining a punched-out groan and a well of satisfaction. Daniel shoved back with vicious power, glancing over his shoulder, hunger in his eyes, blood smearing his lips.

Consumed. It was a good fit for them, like it was who they were always supposed to be, together. Men and monsters.

Daniel's movements became frantic; Kane's rushing to join him. The air smelled like sulfur and chocolate cake.

_-the end_


End file.
